[Conference] Kiwa Initiative presenting NbS for climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation at the 2022 NbS conference!

Back to the 2022 Oxford Nature-based Solutions conference with Mathilde Kraft, coordinator of the Kiwa Initiative within the SPREP, who participated in this international event and was able to bring the voice and values of the Kiwa Initiative.

The 2022 Oxford Nature-based Solutions conference gathered researchers across disciplines with practitioners and policymakers from government, industry and the finance sector to develop a shared understanding of how Nature-based Solutions can address effectively and equitably climate change, biodiversity loss and major socio-economic challenges, locally, regionally and globally. Many conference key messages and questions resonated deeply with Pacific Island contexts and Kiwa values  and objectives. This was particularly reflected in the recognition of the need to start with place-based partnerships and relations between local people and nature, fully recognising Indigenous People and Local Communities’ leadership, rights, worldviews and knowledge to achieve fair and sustainable NbS.

The conversation focussed on NbS for climate change mitigation mostly from terrestrial ecosystems, stressing the great enthusiasm, potential, but also many barriers and shortfalls of these solutions to address this major challenge. SPREP as the Kiwa Initiative Ambassador to the Conference, brought attention to the potential of NbS for climate change adaptation in the Pacific Island region through a poster presenting the Initiative and early results. The poster, developed collectively by Kiwa partners, highlighted the Initiative unique multi-stakeholders governance system and public funding mechanism bringing together donors, countries and territories, regional organizations and NGOs aiming to offer an easier access to funding for climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation through NbS.

The poster showcased progress so far on the different types of projects and solutions already identified by Kiwa grantees, providing a variety of examples of NbS based on island ecosystems. It was a great starting point to discuss with expert attendees from diverse backgrounds the challenges and opportunities of NbS for climate resilience in Pacific Islands, opportunities for sustainable finance mechanisms for NbS around PES and voluntary certification programs, designing NbS for and with people, Indigenous People and Local communities, that bring actual benefits. SPREP brought back from the conference many insights and lessons learned, ensuring Kiwa technical assistance continues to provide state of the art expertise in support of our partners developing NbS that deliver positive outcomes in our island homes. 

Click here to download the poster.

The 2022 Oxford Nature-based Solutions Conference, organised by Oxford University Nature-based Solutions Initiative, took place in Oxford, UK, from 5 to 7 July 2022. To learn more about the discussions and NbS, you can access the conference programme, where recordings will soon be available, on the following website: Nature-based Solutions Conference | Nature-based Solutions Conference 2022 (naturebasedsolutionsoxford.org)